


Shadows Fall Behind You

by StarSongVII



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Detectives, BoKuroo Week, BoKuroo Week 2020, Crimes & Criminals, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Murder, Terrorists, Trigger Warnings, Underage Rape/Non-con, this fic can be triggering
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:40:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28478562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarSongVII/pseuds/StarSongVII
Summary: It's not uncommon for Special Agents and Special Forces not to get along, but in their case Kuroo and Bokuto absolutely loathe each other.Until they get put on a mission together, just the two of them.##Contribution to BoKuroo Week 2020: Day 6: Enemies to Lovers || Crime/Detective AUPrompt:“Screw you.”“Screw me yourself, Coward”##Happy new year, all!
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Konoha Akinori, Bokuto Koutarou/Kuroo Tetsurou, Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi, Tendou Satori/Ushijima Wakatoshi
Comments: 10
Kudos: 82
Collections: Bokuroo Fics, Bokuroo Week 2020





	Shadows Fall Behind You

**Author's Note:**

> Many liberties taken with the world, including the formation of Special Agents and Special Forces.
> 
> Also, in case you missed it: TRIGGER WARNINGS! TRIGGER WARNINGS! TRIGGER WARNINGS! THIS FIC CAN GO TO SOME DARK PLACES PLEASE DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE AT RISK OF BEING TRIGGERED!

Kuroo really, _really_ hates that stupid Special Forces team leader.

Bokuto Koutarou is nothing but a nuisance, lacking finesse and completely incapable of intelligent, rational thought.

He'd have arrested the perp easily, persuaded that extremist asshole to hand himself in, if that white haired bag of noise hadn't barged in guns blazing and making him go deaf in the enclosed space.

As it is, Special Forces is flexing, while Special Agents grit their teeth at this (complete and utter) bullshit.

He's fed up, honestly, because he'd worked so fucking hard to crack this case, he'd foregone sleep and meals and dates and booze for ages, only for it to be snatched away by that fucking airhead.

So he ambushes that buff piece of crap in the lockers, hits him as hard as possible in the jaw and is gratified when the other smashes into the metal behind him.

Except the other isn't fazed, despite the significant crater in the lockers, and is launching himself at Kuroo in a counter attack.

It's brutal as hell, because Kuroo is fast but Bokuto is strong, and they end up having to be separated by Special Forces Team Leaders Iwaizumi and Ushijima (who're clearly struggling to hold Bokuto back), as well as Special Agent Team Leader Sawamura (who yells for S.A.s Azumane and Tanaka to help him with Kuroo, because Kuroo’s team is refusing to get involved since they really hate Special Forces too).

Then they're given absolute hell by the managers, but the worst is when Nekomata and Ukai and Yamiji and a ton of other higher ups rip into them for their lack of cooperation.

_What's important is we caught the perp_ , Ukai yells.

Nekomata says nothing, but the disappointment in his eyes tears Kuroo to pieces.

It’s not like he has Bokuto’s Golden Boy reputation. He’s caused plenty of trouble since joining the Imperial Corps, though he’d toned down quite a lot lately, but he’s never been the one to start a fist fight with colleagues (though he’s always the one to end it).

Yet today...

Well, at least his work ethic protects him. He's let off the hook on account of being absolutely exhausted and hungry, because everyone knows how hard he'd worked to catch the latest terrorist threatening their country.

Bokuto gets saddled with a lot of menial tasks, is put on desk duty - that worst of punishments for someone as hyperactive as him - and Kuroo can't resist smirking at the other as he leaves the meeting room. Those golden eyes are angry, fiery, and it pleases the cat-like investigator to no end.

Now if only Bokuto would just drown in his own bathtub, everything would be just peachy.

##

He should've known Nekomata wouldn't let it go.

The old man is terrifying.

He gets put on a mission alongside Bokuto a month later, and he wonders how he can kill the other while making it seem like a complete accident.

He knows about 1,824 ways to do so. And Kenma will cover for him for sure, wiping all electronic records and probably even conveniently pointing the satellites elsewhere.

But the problem is that that _damn_ old man knows all this and won't let him get away with it.

He needs a new game plan, but he's coming up short because Nekomata had been the one to teach him everything he knows about law enforcement and crime scene investigation, Nekomata had been the one he'd told every new devious scheme to (and Nekomata had been the one to get him clearance to launch his crazy schemes - the official ones - every time).

Which is why he's sitting here, pretending to be dating the burly piece of shit, in a fancy bar wearing expensive suits (Kuroo had figured Bokuto's was some confiscated outfit from a raid, had almost swallowed his tongue when he'd been informed by Yaku that the other is as much a rich kid as he is) and sipping pricey-as-hell liquor.

Somehow the barbarian seems perfectly comfortable in this environment, which means he’d actually been raised in the same way as Kuroo. They’re both from the same city, they’re the same age, yet they hadn’t met before orientation.

Then again, Kuroo knows he hasn’t exactly led a normal life (well, as normal as possible for a billionaire’s son). Kenma had been his only friend for years, until slowly he’d been introduced to Yaku and Kai and the others. But that was it - the extent of people he knew outside of his family and their staff, as well as royalty and business partners and politicians and socialites. Until he’d decided to join the Academy, inspired and challenged by the wizened Nekomata.

Yes, he’s gone undercover before. Due to his family’s standing, he usually gets the high society missions (which is fine with him, because he’d heard of some of the seedy as hell places Sawamura’s undercover work took him on occasion, and he thinks he’d have to scrub himself with bleach if he were to ever set foot in such ‘establishments’).

However, he’s never had to pretend to be dating a guy before. Theirs is an open society, homophobia is illegal, and there are a lot of same sex married couples even in the Corps (like Iwaizumi and Dr. Oikawa, and Sawamura and Dr. Sugawara, and Ushijima and Dr. Tendou) - the only rule being that married couples can’t be on the same team.

Still, he’s used to being the alpha male and the one in charge, the one who dominates smaller partners, who's never vulnerable and exposed, who doesn't let anyone in.

He hates that large hand on his ass, he hates the huge biceps that strain the pale gray silk, he hates the beefy man next to him.

_Can you just DIE?_

He really, _really_ hates Bokuto Koutarou. Who the hell had died and decided that just because the other was broader and taller Kuroo would be the damn sub in this 'relationship'?!

##

Well, it seems someone else hates Bokuto more than he does.

They're overpowered easily when the drugs take effect, hoods over their heads, zip ties around wrists and ankles, as they're beaten and bundled into a helicopter and flown to God knows where.

He can hear that Bokuto is bearing the brunt of the hits though.

_Serves him right._

Except, right then, unable to fight back and not knowing where the hell he is, it's a fact that the only person on his side is Bokuto Koutarou.

He can't let the other die. Nekomata would be disappointed.

So he snarks through his hood, he thinks he gets his nose broken - it hurts like _hell_ \- and through the pain (he's bracing for the next hit, the way he's always done even as a child fighting back to protect Kenma, fighting back to protect _himself_ ) he hears Bokuto challenge whoever it is who's hitting them.

Then all he hears is strikes and grunts from their assailants, but Bokuto makes no sound.

_Is he...?_

He can't let Bokuto die. He can't. Dr. Akaashi is a nice guy, helpful and professional, and he knows those two have been best friends since childhood.

He gets along fine with Iwaizumi and Ushijima, and those two seem to really like Bokuto.

Even Sawamura does. As well as Dr. Oikawa, Dr. Tendou, and Dr. Sugawara.

But more importantly: he can't let Nekomata down. Not when the old man had saved him from prison, not when the crafty veteran had stood up for him again and again when everyone had doubted him, when everyone had written him off as just another rich kid, just a crazy punk with too much smarts and money and time.

They're thrown into some sort of room and he hears the bolts on the door locking them in. He can't hear Bokuto, but he's always been able to harness all his senses so he wriggles over to where he can tell the other is - yes, he's probably more caterpillar than cat right then, and it's _galling_ \- but there's something more important than his pride right now.

He can't let the old man down.

"Oi."

There's no response, and Kuroo feels a cold hand gripping his heart.

"OI!"

He feels muscles, head butts something he thinks is a broad chest.

"OI!!! _WAKE_ THE _FUCK_ UP!"

There's a loud gasp, and then the stupid asshole is trying to figure out what the hell is going on.

Well, clearly Death didn't grant him any wisdom.

Kuroo won't admit it, but he's relieved as hell.

The other doesn't seem to understand a damn thing, so Kuroo headbutts him again.

He hears a squawk, then silence as the Special Agent snaps out instructions.

Kuroo is always prepared, but he hadn't been prepared for _this_.

Yes, it was his own stupidity for hiding the blade so damn near his dick (but it was the only spot with the highest chance of preventing pat downs finding it). 

He hadn't figured it'd be Bokuto Koutarou trying to wriggle his large hands down his pants to get it, the zip ties forcing the other to keep his hands together and their position and the hoods over their heads making it hard for the other to just get it over with.

He should've gotten laid before this mission.

Kuroo is a catch, he knows. One of the youngest Special Agent Commanders around, from a billionaire family, good looking and a polyglot and a well-known genius who’d saved their country from threats to public peace again and again.

But lately...

"Hey! Watch your damn hands!"

That stupid, bumbling, owl...

"Stop wearing such tight pants!"

He wants to headbutt the other again at that, but Kenma and Yaku and Kai constantly rag him for his tight pants so he just grits his teeth and tries to help the other grasp the damn switchblade hidden in his trousers by spreading his legs wider and lifting his hips up.

At last, the Special Forces Commander pulls the blade out, and then they're free from their restraints and blinds, and Kuroo can't stop the gasp in time.

Bokuto had taken a _lot_ of damage.

How was he not dead yet?

He'd heard, of course, of the other man's incredible power and resilience.

But...

"This ain't shit." The blade is held out to him in a steady hand. "Let's go."

He shouldn't, he really shouldn't, but..

How can the stupid owl be so damn _cool_?

##

Between the two of them, they'd taken down a fair few terrorists, commandeered automatic weapons (Bokuto had hooted when he'd looted a grenade belt off someone).

Kuroo insists on them getting to the control room so he can try to connect to Kenma, try to grant the other remote access.

Except, of course, that's the path with the most resistance.

Bokuto takes the hits and bullets for him, and he admits to himself (very grudgingly) that the other is pretty damn tough.

He connects to Kenma somehow, while the Special Forces Commander holds their enemies at bay, then they're running for their lives because Kuroo's best friend had activated the self-destruct on the terrorist base.

They steal a bike, and Kuroo is a complete speed demon while Bokuto sits behind him, one strong arm around a lean waist to hold the owl steady as he fires blindly behind them.

Without support though, without nav or guidance, in the dark in an unfamiliar location, they end up being railroaded off a cliff.

_Is this how it ends?_

He's free falling, his life is flashing before his eyes.

Pity. He had a few things left to take care of.

_Oh well._

He closes his eyes, relaxes and prepares for death.

Then strong arms are wrapping around his waist, and he braces for impact.

##

When he wakes up, he has a light gray coat covering him.

Bokuto is leaning heavily against the rock that sort of barricades them into this little cavern, breathing labored as the white haired man grips the M4A1 tight.

_What...?_

Why is the other being so nice to him?

Kuroo is tough, there's no denying it. But he's not Special Forces tough.

It'd be a lot easier for Bokuto to escape on his own now, especially when the Special Agent had done his job and patched HQ into the terrorists' mainframe.

Yet the other man had protected him as they'd fallen, had somehow brought him to a safe location, had given him his own jacket despite the cold.

_Why are you doing this?_

They've hated each other since orientation in the Academy years ago, since Kuroo had been introduced and the whispers had started about _that rich kid with the powerful family_ _who escaped prison time coz of daddy._

Obviously it had rubbed him the wrong way and he’d fallen back into old habits, antagonizing and snarking and provoking to the point he’s jumped by a few guys before the end of the day.

But that was the plan, to show he can handle himself, that he’s more than just the only son of _that_ family.

It works, of course, and Nekomata knows why he did it so he gets away with it, especially when Kenma had recorded only the assailants’ threats and verbal abuse (as well as them throwing the first punches).

Eventually he gets to know a few others from outside the Nekoma circle, tones down on the provocations (but he keeps scheming, of course, though he’s rarely caught thanks to his and Kenma’s skills).

He's always hated Bokuto for not having anyone resenting him, for being loved instantly by everyone for the 120% effort he puts into everything.

It's not his style to try too hard, he holds back constantly so he's always underestimated, but he'd caught so many terrorists and serial killers on his own anyway he'd figured everyone would cut him some slack after awhile.

Some do, most don't.

He supposes his blatant flaunting of his wealth - fancy cars, expensive suits, dating actresses - don't help him much. But he doesn't care (or at least he tells himself he doesn't care).

Bokuto seems to take issue with his behavior all the time, and the two end up butting heads so often everyone likes to bet on who'll snap first when they cross paths.

So why is Bokuto acting like this? Why doesn't he just leave Kuroo behind and run for it?

The extraction point isn't too far away, barely 100 klicks from the terrorist base, an easy distance for Special Forces to cover, even injured.

Why is Bokuto still here, with him?

"Hey."

It seems the other has realized he's awake. Steeling himself for an insult - about how he's _nothing but a pathetic rich kid who’d gotten lucky or who took the credit for others’ works_ \- he's surprised to realize that there's nothing but concern in those golden eyes.

"You good to go?"

He's tired, and cold, and hungry, and thirsty, and in pain. But he can't say any of that, not when he can see how badly hurt the other is, not when he knows that Bokuto had sacrificed precious time waiting for him to come to.

"Yeah."

He holds the gray jacket tight around himself as they run.

##

Kuroo supposes he has _that_ incident to thank for his incredible sense of direction, his ability to find his way to safe haven no matter what.

He also has that incident to thank for his ability to survive outdoors, to find food and water faster than the Special Forces Commander can.

Bokuto seems a little impressed, given Special Agents have less advanced survival training than the brutish bunch, but Kuroo is too tired and cold to pick a fight over this.

They’re slow, because it’s dark and they’re being hunted, but Kuroo also thinks it’s because he’s holding Bokuto back. The taller male might be badly hurt, but he’s Special Forces through and through, moving with practiced ease even over rough terrain.

Special Agents are the investigative arm, spending more time on mind games and profiling and surveillance than actual combat. Yes, they chase down suspects on occasion, have to defend themselves once in awhile, but Kuroo’s famous for his fail-proof traps which usually lead to them capturing perpetrators without firing a single shot.

They know that Special Forces call them paper pushers, desk jockeys. There's always been tension between the 'brain and brawn' of the Corps, though it's not been as bad lately due to Kuroo and Sawamura getting along well with Iwaizumi and Ushijima ('Dadchi' gets along with Bokuto too, only Kuroo doesn't).

It's true they don't train as much as Forces, that the techniques they learn are more to subdue and restrain than kill and maim.

But right now, in the open, it's clear how much weaker Kuroo is physically compared to Bokuto.

His smarts can't make his legs move any faster.

They've covered about 20 klicks by now, managing to evade their pursuers thanks to Kuroo's keen sense of hearing. There's still 80km to go, and 36km of it is up and down a mountain path.

Luckily Kuroo spends a lot of time running, especially late at night when he can't sleep because he sees _them_ coming back for him, and there's a steep hill near his loft which he sprints up and down on regularly.

They make it to the mountain, Kuroo finding the trail even with just a thin sliver of moon to light the way. He's used to the dark, used to being in the abyss, so the lack of illumination doesn't bother him.

Bokuto is silent, but that's to be expected since they're hiding from a bunch of very pissed off terrorists.

It's freezing cold though, the higher up they go, as the wind whips around them. He'd tried offering Bokuto his jacket back several times, but the other had always refused and kept running.

He hates the cold, because it reminds him of that time and so many other instances of him being left behind on their vast family estate at Christmas as his father and grandparents attend to matters in some city or other.

Come to think of it, he hadn't actually celebrated Christmas the way they do in movies for years, until he'd joined the Academy.

His team are planning a party again this year, and he's looking forward to it because Fukunaga makes amazing paella while Kai makes great nabe.

They'd extended the invitation to Sawamura and his team too, everyone calling it 'A Garbage Dump Christmas' because of the teams' emblems - a cat and a crow - but they're all excited anyway because there'll be games and great food and tons of booze courtesy of Kuroo.

Kai had suggested inviting Iwaizumi and Ushijima and their teams as well, but that would mean having to invite Bokuto because #OfficePolitics, so Kuroo had decided to leave Forces out of their annual tradition again, though he'd made plans to hang out with the other team leaders (except Bokuto) separately.

A particularly strong gust of wind knocks him from his reverie, taking him dangerously close to the crumbling edge of the trail, and it's only one strong arm reacting quickly that saves him from falling to his death.

_Focus, dammit!_

He can't appear even more useless than he already does. His pride as a Special Agent demands it.

Gritting his teeth against the biting cold, he pushes onwards and upwards without a word.

##

They're spotted by a drone while fleeing a pack of wolves, and then Kuroo manages to lead the bloodthirsty animals to the four-legged creatures.

Unfortunately, they still have a lot of pursuers.

He hears the sound over the din of gunfire and yells, grabs Bokuto by the wrist and runs towards it. It's foolish, it's dangerous.

But he's desperate. Their window is closing - Kenma had made it clear that the exfil chopper would make three passes within a specific time frame - and they're not going to make it unless they close the distance with the extraction site quickly.

Bokuto yells as Kuroo drags them off another cliff, right into freezing cold currents that rip their breath from them and tumble them over a waterfall.

He hopes his memory and senses had served him right this time.

##

He doesn't have the ability to celebrate or pat himself on the back when Bokuto pulls them out of the water eventually.

Yes, they'd covered a lot of ground by taking the river route, and they were now less than 10km from the extraction point.

But Kuroo is going into hypothermic shock.

Somehow the beefy male is less affected, though he's also shivering and his rough hands are trembling as he drags Kuroo towards the treeline for shelter from the wind and surveillance drones.

The brute struggles with the buttons, ripping Kuroo's silk shirt after getting frustrated with the slippery things. His pants are yanked off harshly, and Bokuto probably took some skin along with it but he can't really feel anything right now.

Then the white haired male is stripping as well, lying over Kuroo skin to skin as he tries to warm the smaller man up with body heat.

If this was any other situation, Kuroo would be making suggestive comments and cracking jokes around now.

But he's struggling to stay conscious, struggling to breathe, and it's all he can do to focus on Bokuto's words.

He's tired though, so very tired. Of running, of hiding, of trying to keep the demons at bay just a little longer, of trying to be a regular, functioning adult and lead his team and save his country.

He's tired of trying to be normal, trying to not let _them_ catch him again.

##

_He's six years old the first time they get him._

_They brutalize his beautiful, gentle mother right before his eyes, and he tries to stop them but gets beaten badly and tied up and then all he can hear is his mother's screams because he'd shut his eyes tight hoping this was all just a terrible nightmare, hoping that when he opens them again he'll be back in his fluffy bed, safe and sound in the manor._

_It's Nekomata who finds them, who gets them to the hospital in time for doctors to save his mother's life._

_They can't save her mind though._

_The horrors she'd endured change her completely._

_Where before she'd been kind, loving, gentle, after being discharged she's cruel, cold, violent._

_She hates him for not being able to do more, for being the reason they'd been targeted and captured in the first place._

_The only heir to the Kuroo family is a prized catch, because his father would pay any amount of ransom for his son's safe return._

_Mother should have been in the manor, surrounded by their guards and retainers, that day. But he'd been afraid to go to the chess tournament without her, so she'd smiled and kissed him and held his hand as their convoy made its way to the competition._

_Eventually, she almost kills him, and he remembers the way his father had looked at him when the servants finally broke down the door his mother had locked, when he sees his child's swollen eye and bleeding lip and nose, the hand shaped bruises around a small neck._

_When he sees the chess pieces shoved deep into his wife's eye and throat._

_Father becomes distant after that, and only his grandmother is kind to him once in awhile (grandfather had always been more focused on their business and golfing)._

_He's eight years old when he's kidnapped again, this time Kenma is with him and Kuroo fights like hell to protect the first and only friend he's ever had._

_He's eleven when they get him on his own, because it was the anniversary of mother's death and he'd wanted to be alone, instead of in the manor knowing everyone looked at him and thought 'murderer'._

_They beat him and rape him for days, but he manages to get away._

_He's lost, running for his life, trying to find his way to a big, cold house._

_Trying to find his way to Kenma, the only person who's never judged him, the only person who tries to understand him._

_He's lucky his friend had randomly played some survival horror game the other day while he'd been hanging out at the Kozume house. There'd been an educational aspect to the game, which is how Kenma had convinced his parents to buy it for him, and Kuroo's photographic memory had captured the survival tips and the flesh-eating zombies perfectly for posterity._

_It comes in handy now, when he's all alone and scared and hurt, when he's hungry and thirsty and tired but he can't stop because they'll catch him if he does._

_The Corps follow his directions to the hunting lodge he'd been held in, but his assailants are long gone by the time they arrive._

_The blood and semen samples yield results, and Interpol issues a Red Notice for the few they identify._

_But they've all gone underground, and eventually other cases take precedence._

_Kuroo never forgets though. He can't, even if he wants to._

_The hate on their faces as they tried to break him, blamed him for his father's and grandfather's ruthless business decisions, for his family's part in creating terrible weapons that had killed thousands in their home countries._

_One among them had known his mother since childhood, had loved her with all his heart, and he'd been the most vicious because he blamed Kuroo for getting his mother into that situation, for killing her as a terrified child fighting for his life._

_He's fourteen when he spots that man in the crowd one day, as he stands next to his father while the older Kuroo officiates the opening of their latest lab._

_He's rooted to the spot, paralyzed with fear, and only Kenma notices, pretending to trip so that Kuroo has an excuse to get close to the other._

_When he manages to whisper the information to his friend, those cat-like eyes widen before hardening with resolve._

_Kenma is a phenomenal hacker, self-taught and unstoppable._

_He traces that man to his home - he's married with a child, living under an assumed name._

_The man tells Kuroo that he means no harm, that had been another life, he's found happiness at last, he'd gone to the opening ceremony just to assure himself that Kuroo is fine now._

_Kuroo has a photographic memory. But he remembers nothing except a red haze after those words._

_His next memory is of him in the hospital, Nekomata removing the cuffs from thin wrists._

_The old man calls in favors from everyone who owes him in the Corps, in the judiciary, and manages to keep Kuroo out of prison and the psych ward._

_The entire time, his father never comes to visit him. His grandparents drop in once, for five minutes, but he can tell they think he's more monster than man._

_Kenma, Yaku, Kai and the other boys aren't afraid of him, refusing to leave his side even when he's discharged and back in the manor._

_When he tells them about his plan to join the Academy, Kenma shows him the forms he'd already completed for all of them._

##

He feels warm and comfortable, somehow.

Maybe he's already dead.

"Hey."

That voice...

Startled, his eyes snap open before he's squinting from the light.

Then he realizes their situation.

Naked, legs tangled, pressed against each other while Bokuto holds him close.

_What the FUCK?!_

He shoves the other hard in his panicked reaction, then feels horrible when the taller male clenches his jaw tight against the pain.

Because of course Kuroo had pressed on a broken rib and a bullet wound.

He can't ever do anything right, can he?

Bokuto had saved him, pulled him from the river and warmed him up and most likely kept watch while he'd slept.

Bokuto had stayed with him, even as he'd slowed them down, had caught him before he'd fallen off the mountain trail.

And yet, the first thing Kuroo does when he wakes up is cause more problems.

"...up."

_Huh?_

Blinking, he forces himself to focus on the white haired male who's casually sitting buck naked on the grass like it's the most natural thing in the world to do.

When golden eyes realize he's paying attention once more, the broad man repeats himself.

"Quit beating yourself up."

He'd always thought the other was an idiot, incapable of rational, intelligent thought.

But that gaze is steady and calm, those eyes knowing.

He's known as the master of provocation, but he's the first to look away, and it's the first time he doesn't have a glib or snarky comeback on the spot.

They dress in silence, but all the while Kuroo can feel the weight of golden eyes on him.

He'd really liked this shirt. That _damn_ owl and his utter lack of finesse.

It's dangerous to head to the extraction point now, without cover of darkness, but they need to get as close as possible before the chopper makes its flyover in three hours.

They walk quietly through the trees, ears straining for the slightest sound of drone or man or wild animal.

There's nothing but a heavy, blanketing silence.

When they're near enough that they can run to the helo in minutes, they decide to hunker down and hide.

That's when Bokuto decides to start a fight.

"Never would've pegged you as a mummy's boy."

Kuroo swings quickly, wildly, hot fury filling him alongside those insidious whispers of 'murderer'.

His fist is caught, arm twisted behind his back and bringing him chest-to-chest with Bokuto.

Whose eyes are assessing, piercing.

_What...?_

"I know about all of it."

Kuroo's eyes widen, his heart thundering so loudly they'll probably be found soon.

_'All of it' doesn't mean 'all of it'._

Nekomata's words fill his head, calm him down. It's true, it's a tactic Special Agents use in interrogations, deliberately misleading suspects with words, without outright lying about anything.

He forces himself to relax, sees one white eyebrow rise before realization fills those golden eyes and full lips quirk slightly at the corner.

"I meant 'all of it', Kuroo." It's probably the first time the other man has said his name in an even tone. Usually it's yelled or spat out. But he can't think about that right now. "I know about what happened with your mother, with you, with that guy." There's thunder in his ears now, his heart feels like it's trying to drum its way out of his chest.

How did Bokuto know all of it?

The records had been sealed, only a select few investigators, judges, and medical personnel allowed to know the details, though all of them were sworn to secrecy.

"Nekomata told me, before this mission."

Nekomata had told him? Why? How could the old man have betrayed him like this, have broken his promise?

"So I wanna say, I'm sorry." _Huh?_ "For thinking you were nothing but some spoiled little socialite playing detective."

Once again, Kuroo is completely speechless.

He doesn't know how long he stares up at the other man, but eventually he realizes that he's straddling a muscular lap with one arm pinned behind his back, and their chests are flush against each other's.

He doesn't know why he blushes when he's not a virgin, when his sexual exploits are legendary, but maybe it's just a combination of stress, adrenaline, fatigue, and the whole misattribution of arousal thing.

Those golden eyes darken, flicker to his lips. Bokuto seems to lean forward slightly, and Kuroo holds his breath as he feels warm lips hovering just above his.

Then suddenly the larger male is pulling back, flushing and looking away.

_Oh_.

It seemed Bokuto was most definitely straight.

Either that or Kuroo's not his type.

Not that he _wants_ to be any guy's type.

He tries to yank his arm out of the grip holding it firm behind his back, but the damn owl commander is too strong, so Kuroo ends up losing his balance and falling forwards but to the side.

Somehow this means his face is pressed in the crook of a thick neck. He raises his other palm, almost presses against a broad chest as leverage, before he recalls the wounds he'd seen earlier when they'd been naked.

Stilling his palm, he shifts himself backwards using his thighs and core. Bokuto is watching him, eyes hooded and sharp, pupils dilated.

If the damn white haired barbarian wants him, then why...?

_No, no, no!_

Kuroo will _never_ spread his legs for another. He'd been forced to, as a child, and he'd vowed then that he would never allow himself to be humiliated and dominated that way again.

His arm is released, and he clambers off that lap as gracefully as possible.

Somehow he still feels heat on his chest, his wrist, between his legs.

They sit in silence until the sky starts to darken, knowing their rescuers will be approaching from the east within the hour and getting ready to run for it.

Bokuto tackles him to the ground as a shot rings out.

_What...?_

They'd been found.

##

They can't hold out, because they're woefully ill-equipped, injured, exhausted, and cornered.

Yet 'giving up' isn't in either of their vocabularies.

Bokuto rips branches from trees, flings them like javelins or swings them like baseball bats. He tosses every gun he steals to Kuroo first, only picking up the automatic weapons for himself when the dark haired agent is already armed.

Somehow they make a stand there, in the trees near the hilltop clearing.

_C'mon, c'mon, c'mon!_

_Where_ is the damn chopper?!

He hears those blessed rotors at long last, coming from the horizon, and he can tell Bokuto does too if the whoop the broad man gives is any indication.

They're almost there, they just need to hang on a little longer.

Except he's not quite sure, really, if Bokuto will make it.

The other man had taken on too much protecting Kuroo.

Someone tries to get the jump on Bokuto, but the Agent swings around and fires point blank at the man's face.

_Not on my watch!_

He can't let the idiot die here. He owes the other for saving his life again and again, and Kuroo always repaid his debts.

When the rotors are close enough, he yells at Bokuto and they make a run for it.

Until Bokuto goes down.

Kuroo screeches to a halt, pivoting and running back towards the other as bullets whiz past his face - maybe some of them do hit him, but he doesn't care right now - when the white haired man yells at him.

"What the fuck are you doing?! RUN!"

_What the fuck?!_

Like _hell_ he's leaving the other man behind. He might not be Special Forces, all stupidly charging into battle guns blazing and _oo-rah's_ and "leave no man behind"s.

But he'll be damned before he fails to bring Bokuto home.

Glaring, he dives down, firing wildly at their attackers, before yelling at the owl to _cover their asses_ , then he's dragging the other man towards the clearing, not quite strong enough to lift the beefy fighter.

It's not an ideal position, and of course someone gets a lucky shot off that renders his left arm useless.

He wants to scream from the pain, but he grits his teeth and grips Bokuto tighter with his right hand, pulling like his life depends on it.

The attack helicopter's machine guns sound off, providing them with cover fire. He wants to kiss Yamamoto, whom he's pretty sure is the one with finger heavy on the trigger, and Fukunaga (who is definitely the pilot, if the wild manoeuvres are anything to go by).

Still, there's only so much his team can do, especially as the terrorists came prepared with rocket launchers. One of them comes dangerously close to the chopper, but Fukunaga manages to dodge it.

"Kuroo."

It suddenly seems awfully quiet, despite the gunfight going on.

Those golden eyes are locked on his, firm, steady, calm, resolute.

"Leave me."

It's about two hundred meters to the landing spot. He can make it easily if he sprints now - the terrorists are reloading - and no one will blame him for leaving Bokuto behind because their crazy attackers are closing in.

And yet...

Bokuto had never left him behind, even when he'd passed out or slowed the other down.

"No. Fucking. Way."

And with that, he drops down, getting his head and shoulder under the other's arm, and pushes against the ground hard, rising then turning and half-running, half-dragging this gigantic idiot to the waiting chopper.

He thinks the two guys who run out are Washio and Konoha, he can't be sure, but they provide cover and then the tall scary-looking dude is easily supporting / lifting his team leader back to the helo.

Konoha guards his back as he dashes, and then they're up in the air and heading home.

##

Of course, they're commended to the moon by the higher ups.

Kuroo feels so bad about Bokuto's injuries that he agrees to write their report for them.

Everyone raises eyebrows at that, and he sputters and hotly justifies it as him being the only educated one between the two.

He doesn't fool anyone, he knows, but thankfully no one says a thing.

It's three days later when Kenma walks into his loft and asks him when he's going to visit Bokuto at the base hospital.

When he says that he's not sure why he should even be expected to go, he gets The Look from his childhood friend and instantly jumps off the couch, pocketing his phone and grabbing his keys and wallet.

Kenma tells him the room number as he dashes past, then the smaller male is making himself perfectly at home while Kuroo drives to the hospital wondering what the hell he should even get as a gift (because if he shows up empty handed, Kenma will _not_ be happy).

He gets sake in the end, because alcohol always makes everything better.

And alright he also picks up some random bar snacks, because you can't have sake without some light bites.

He walks in to see Dr. Akaashi face palming.

Yeah, he knows that feel.

Turns out Bokuto was 100% convinced the bullets the surgeons had extracted had left offspring behind in the time it took them to get medical attention.

Kuroo wants to face palm too, but the sake is terribly expensive and his left arm is still in a cast (he shouldn't have driven, he knows, but if anyone stops him he'll just flash his badge and get away with it).

Gunmetal blue eyes spot him before bright gold do.

Then suddenly he's pinned to the spot under that heavy, blinding weight.

"I'll be back later."

And with that, Dr. Akaashi gracefully takes his leave, one last glance at Kuroo (but face impassive as ever) before the shorter male closes the door behind him.

He's not sure how long he stands there staring, but eventually Bokuto speaks.

"Hey."

For a complete idiot, that face is giving nothing away. Maybe it's the bruises and swelling, but it's hard to read the taller man (and Kuroo is very good at reading people, though not as good as Kenma).

"Hey."

He walks towards the bed, taking in the casts and bandages and tubes in his peripheral vision as he focuses on a point slightly above Bokuto's head.

"Here." He holds out the gifts before realizing the other man can't exactly reach out for them. Clearing his throat - and kicking himself mentally - he sets them down on the bedside table.

"Thanks." Still that face is inscrutable, and Kuroo is starting to feel really uncomfortable. Would Kenma be mad if he turned and ran now?

"Do you wanna take a seat?" Bokuto breaks the awkward silence again, and Kuroo nods, moving to sit on the chair Dr. Akaashi had recently vacated.

He's not quite sure what to say, even though he knows exactly what to say in every situation.

But this is different.

"How're you holding up?"

Again, it's Bokuto who takes the lead. Kuroo should be aghast at how ridiculous he's being, but his mind's a little blank at the moment.

"I'll be 100% in a few weeks." His eyes skitter along the bandages, the leg in a cast held up by a sling. "You?"

The Special Forces Commander huffs. "Lucky you." A pout and glare at his offending leg. "Docs said it'll be at least a month, if not two, for me."

"That's still pretty good, given everything."

And he knows exactly how damaged Bokuto is, because he'd written the damn report for them, adding the diagnoses of their injuries in the appendix.

Bokuto just grunts, tries to cross his arms but the cast won't let him, ends up scowling at his right forearm.

It's actually quite funny.

Somehow the sight of the muscular man glaring at his own body for failing him relaxes Kuroo, and he starts an easy conversation with the other.

Of course, it devolves into insults and a competition to see who can get better first and beat the other in a fight, but it lacks the animosity that usually colors their interactions.

Kuroo leaves only when Dr. Sugawara tells him it's three hours past the end of visitation, and he can't keep breaking the rules for the Special Agent.

He agrees to come back the next day with some card games.

##

The Imperial Corps is going mental, of course, because Kuroo Tetsurou and Bokuto Koutarou are supposed to be mortal enemies.

Yet the investigator visits daily with food or gifts or games, and there aren't any reports of fights breaking out in the hospital.

When he's allowed to return to work, he tells the pouting, grumbling, sulky Bokuto that he'll drop by the next day with dinner. That makes white spikes perk up instantly, and he struggles to suppress the smile.

Kenma is waiting for him in the lobby, and those sharp eyes pierce right through him, though his small friend astutely says nothing until they're in the car.

"You like him."

He almost crashes right then and there, but the pudding head doesn't even blink.

Clearly Kenma has a death wish.

Sputtering, he tries to deny it, insisting he just feels bad, that Bokuto had saved his ass a lot during the mission and hadn't once abandoned him.

Kenma gives him The Look, and he shuts up and drives.

##

_You like him._

Damn Kenma and his keen observation skills, his understanding of Kuroo.

Groaning, he buries his hands in his hair. Inuoka looks a bit concerned, as does Shibayama, but Yaku tells them to ignore the drama queen.

Yakkun is so mean to him, sometimes.

There's a knock on the door, then Naoi-san is asking Kuroo to follow him.

Nekomata activates the lockdown protocol once they're alone.

"You're wondering why I told him?"

Ah. Yes. _That_.

The calm old man takes a sip of his green tea, smiling beatifically as usual.

"Because he's in love with you."

##

He hides on the roof the rest of the day, but Kenma finds him easily. (Sometimes he swears his friend had implanted trackers under his skin somehow, because the small hacker always seems to know where he is).

"Nekomata told you?"

Did _everyone_ know?

Those cat-like eyes blink slowly at him.

"Well, not Lev."

_Gee, thanks._

How could he have missed this? He's a genius, he's perceptive as hell and street smart and he can read almost everyone like a book.

Kenma gives him a withering glare.

"I already told you."

_You like him._

Kuroo flings himself dramatically at his best friend, and gets hit on the head with a PSP in return.

##

He's awkward at first when he shows up with dinner - yakiniku, which Dr. Akaashi casually mentioned in passing earlier is Bokuto's favorite food - but they're chatting easily soon enough.

When he finds out that Bokuto used to play volleyball in high school, that he still has regular games with the others, he can't help challenging the other to a match.

The feral grin he gets, the way those burning golden eyes sear through him, make him feel hot all over and later that night he masturbates for the first time in a long time.

##

Bokuto had grumbled when he'd informed the other that he has a new case, and he won't be able to visit for awhile.

Yet, maybe it's his imagination, but those golden eyes had seemed a little worried.

He pushes the thought out of his mind, forces himself to focus on the case file.

Sawamura had expressed concern once, over drinks, that Kuroo got too many of the 'worst' cases.

And by 'worst' the crow commander meant the darkest, most twisted, most horrific crimes that came through the Corps.

It's fine, though. He's used to the abyss.

This time it's an organ harvester who targets children, occasionally cuts fetuses out of pregnant women. And all the victims had been alive and awake at time of 'surgery', according to Dr. Tendou.

It's the kind of case that only gets given to Kuroo, because he's used to seeing the darkness in people, used to thinking the worst about everyone he meets.

##

Three weeks later, he's ordered to take five days off to rest and recover after closing the case.

He can't stay here, though. It's quiet and cold, far too big for him alone.

But he can't leave either, because it's not safe out there.

He scratches at his arms, pulls his hair.

_It's OK, Kenma will come._

Kenma always comes over when he's like this.

Except, it's Bokuto who hobbles in on crutches.

"Hey."

That rich voice is soft, those golden eyes concerned.

Kuroo doesn't know what to say.

##

He doesn't speak for a long time, because he's still trying to resurface from the depths of hell.

But he's pleasantly surprised that Bokuto doesn't try to fill the air with noise, doesn't say anything more to him beyond words like "here", and "drink", and "eat".

The airhead puts the volleyball channel on, cheering for good plays and yelling at missed receives and crappy blocks, and eventually, slowly, Kuroo feels the chains loosen from his chest.

He takes a breath, and the air isn't rancid, isn't acrid.

Still, he doesn't say anything, just drinks the beer and sake that Bokuto had carried in with him somehow, then the owl finds his cellar and shamelessly helps himself to priceless wines and whiskies but at least has the decency to pour Kuroo some too.

He's not sure if Dr. Sugawara had cleared the other for alcohol, but he's pretty sure Bokuto doesn't give a damn.

When Bokuto hoots at an incredible spike, he looks at the other man.

One arm and one leg in a cast, still covered in bandages but at least his face looks like a human face not a punching bag.

White spikes flat against high cheekbones, bright golden eyes intently focused on the volleyball match happening on the flat screen as his right hand - his spiking hand - twitches now and then.

Bokuto hadn't left him, had taken the hits and bullets for him.

Bokuto has apparently been in love with him for a long time.

But the other man had thought him 'some spoiled little socialite playing detective'. Had always picked a fight before this, whenever their paths crossed.

He blurts out the question unthinkingly, and the Special Forces Commander freezes.

Then golden eyes are trained on his own hazel, as the owl answers honestly and openly.

Kuroo is blushing like crazy now, cold darkness long blown away by heat and sunshine.

_"I couldn't stop thinking about you, no matter what."_

Still didn't explain...

_"I didn't wanna like you, so I found every reason to dislike you."_

Oh. He's straight...?

Bokuto snorts at that. "'Kaashi and Konoha have been bangin' since high school." _WHAT?!_ "I don't have a problem with guys getting it on with guys."

Then why...?

The other man looks adorable when he's blushing and averting his gaze, stammering out an answer.

"Coz I didn't think you'd ever like me."

The usually confident man looks so unsure right then, usually loud voice so soft and hesitant it breaks Kuroo's heart (or, whatever passes for a heart in his case).

When the dark haired man doesn't respond for awhile, Bokuto droops, fumbling to grab his crutches and leave.

Kuroo doesn't even think, just throws himself at the other. There's a pained _oof_ as he lands on healing ribs, then those golden eyes are wide as the cat-like commander straddles a strong lap.

"Pussy." He smirks, but his eyes are fond, he knows.

Those full lips gape, before Bokuto is grinning at him, the arm not in a sling reaching around his waist to pull him flush against a broad chest.

They're breathing in the same air now, and it seems so light, so full of promise, that Kuroo can't recall what darkness tastes like, what the abyss smells like.

"Screw you."

"Screw me yourself, coward."

Somehow, despite being injured and with one arm and one leg out of commission, Bokuto manages to screw Kuroo senseless for hours that day.

The next day, Kenma and Dr. Akaashi waltz in like they own the place, getting the two of them dressed - Bokuto is grinning and affectionate as hell with Kuroo, who's a blushing, stammering wreck constantly trying to hide his face - and then they're letting everyone else in and Kuroo's beautiful loft is turned into a complete garbage dump by the end of it but he doesn't mind.

Not when Bokuto looks at him like that, smiles at him like that, kisses him like that.

As long as he keeps his face towards the sun, the shadows will fall behind him.

**Author's Note:**

> "Keep your face always toward the sun and the shadows will fall behind you" is a quote by Walt Whitman.


End file.
